Mom had surgery and is now in a rehab facility. How can I make her home safe for her to come back?

My Mom (90) fell and broke her hip. I need info on what I need to change in her home to make it safe for her to live there again. The rehab/nursing home said they have to evaluate her living conditionsbefore she can return home.

Answers

Depending on how much you mother has recovered, she may need to have her bathroom completely renovated to accommodate her needs. Try going to her state's website. When you type the name of the state into your browser also type the word "aging." That should bring up a selection of state websites and other resources. You can also try "disabilities" and other variations on the word. These links will take you to various resources. One or more should provide local information that can help you find out what needs to be done.

My mother has an appointment with a physical therapist and an occupational therapist. I think it's the occupational therapist who will come to our home and tell us what we need and even what level to put any grab bars at. See if you can get a referral for something like that and if your mom's insurance will cover it. I can't remember if it's Medicare that's covering this or my mom's supplemental, so it's possible it's covered by Medicare, but I don't remember.

My mother in law broker her hip about the same age as your mother. The hospital set her up with a week of "hospital" rehab. Her insurance allowed her a total of 30 days. We insisted she have more rehab to have her at her best chance at home. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions. It enabled her discharge to home be a success. We had to get a toilet lift, a plastic seat. This has enabled her to get on/off toilet. There is a hand rail on wall in shower. She is able to get in/out of shower. We have a shower chair (which she refuses to use) but she does use it outside the shower to sit on to gey dressed. We purchased a walker and insist she still use it now. Her orthopeadic doc said she has one leg slightly longer than another so we try to prevent a fall. She does however have alzheimers and can not live alone. Medicare does not cover all, but you can check into it. You would need docs order for anything medicare would cover. Your mom should be entitled to a visiting nurse/ home rehab. They will check to see what assistance may help her at home. My mother in law can not live alone so we do have a live in for her. Prior to the live in, I used to make/ freeze soup etc. so she would have easy meals she could make. Hope all goes well.

I would imagine that your mom will be discharged with in-home appointments with PT and OT. They will talk to you about what you will need to help your mom stay safe and able to get around easier. They will asses your home and help you get the supplies you need.

Someone mentioned grab bars, which are a must, but get the ones that screw into the wall as opposed to the suction ones. Wait and see where your mom needs them before installing them. Grab bars in the bathroom are often a necessity but where they're placed depends upon the person's abilities, on their height, whether they can get a walker into the bathroom or not. Where they're placed depends upon many things.

Coming home from rehab will be exhausting for your mom and I'm sure she'll be grateful to get out of rehab and back home.

I'd recommend you to hire a Home caregiver. A big benefit of hiring in-home help is that your loved one gets to stay in a familiar environment. In the later parts of people' lives, they tend to get easily confused and can frequently forget where they are. By allowing them to stay in their home, they are less likely to deal with the frustration of being somewhere they are unfamiliar with. Sometimes this options is less of a fight than convincing a senior to move out of their home of many years!

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